Bears showing signs of life

After a slow start, Hershey put together back-to-back solid efforts to get back on track.

Zach Hamill scored his first two goals with the Bears over the weekend, both of which came in wins for Hershey at Giant Center. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS GLEN GRAY)

HERSHEY - Depending on weather, concrete typically takes a day or two to set. The complete curing process can take months, though.

In the case of the Bears, the foundation for a solid 2012-13 season appears to be settling into place.

Hershey put together its first winning streak of the season this past weekend, relying on an opportunistic offense and increasingly-stingy defense. In both games, the opponents outshot the Bears, only to board the bus without a point.

On Saturday, Albany misfired on all 35 of its shots against keeper Braden Holtby in 3-0 shutout. On Sunday, goalie Dany Sabourin stood tall in a 3-2 triumph over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Through seven games, the Bears have been outshot six times this season. Only Norfolk and Albany have generated fewer chances in the AHL's Eastern Conference, and they have played in one less game. No Bear currently ranks in the top 50 in shots on goal.

"I think we're playing responsibly," Bears co-head coach Mark French said. "We've been given some good goaltending efforts, but the shots on goal totals and chances have been down.

"I attribute it more to the transition from Weeks 1 and 2 to this week as just being more comfortable with what we're doing defensively. It's a bit of a changeover from a system perspective, but it's no more based on playing defense from a system perspective."

A year ago, Hershey's high-octane attack finished third in the league in goals scored.

Advertisement

They also produced three of the league's top-10 point scorers in Chris Bourque (93), Keith Aucoin (70) and Ryan Potulny (65). Only Potulny returned this season, and he's been sidelined with an injury for the past four games.

"We have a different team, that's for sure. We don't have guys like Aucoin and Bourque like last year, those kinds of guys that scored goals all season," said Sabourin following his 20-save victory Sunday. "But we have some new guys that can do their job; but it's different. I think it's going to be more teamwork and four lines this year."

So far, balance has been the Bears' trademark. Eighteen different players have tallied at least a goal or an assist in the seven games.

Center Zach Hamill, traded straight up for Bourque last May, scored his first goal in chocolate and white Saturday night to start the scoring. He followed with No. 2, a short-handed marker, on Sunday.

"I just come here and play my game," Hamill said about the increased pressured involved with being traded for the 2010 Calder Cup MVP. "He's a different player than me. I just come here and do what I do best and go from there."

Along with Hamill, multi-purpose forward Mike Carman also broke into the scoring column over the weekend. Carman, skating on a line with captain Boyd Kane and Garrett Mitchell, cashed in on a spinning backhand rebound to give the hosts a 1-0 cushion on Sunday against the Baby Penguins.

"It seems to me, when (Carman) gets a greater opportunity, he seems to relish those," added French. "It's good to see with a guy like him. He deserves it for all the unnoticed or unrecognized play he usually contributes to the team."

Carman cited a mix of new players and a new system for the club's sluggish start, which resulted in losses in four of the first five. The Bears' opening night roster featured 10 new players, in addition to Washington Capitals coaches Adam Oates and Calle Johansson.

"Every team has turnover each year, so you can't really use that as an excuse, but we got a lot of new systems we're implementing, too," said Carman. "It's getting to the point where you're comfortable with the systems, and not having to think about where to be and just going and having an instant reaction. Once we started to develop that a little bit through all the practices, you could tell guys are playing with confidence and moving."

For the most part, Hershey's forwards have remained interchangeable during the season's infancy, evident by the injection of T.J. Syner into the Jeff Taffe-Joe DiSalvatore pairing on Sunday. The speedy Syner originally started the season with the ECHL's Reading Royals before being recalled for the weekend home stand.

"I think one of the aspects of the offensive game, especially now with the way teams are built, speed has become a greater emphasis, and T.J. can push the pace for two pretty good veteran players," French said. "He gets on pucks well and creates some stuff by his speed for those guys, so we think he's a good compliment."

Hershey hits the road for its next three games on Friday (at Springfield), Saturday (at Bridgeport) and Friday, Nov. 9 (at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). The next home game at Giant Center will be Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. against St. John's.